A Catholic Pilgrim Traveling To Ephesus

Before my husband told me about the job in Turkey that he was trying for, I knew literally nothing about Turkey. Okay, I knew that Istanbul was once Constantinople, but that’s it. You all can now freely sing the song, “Istanbul (Not Constantinople).” You’ll get it stuck in your head and that’s a promise.

When my husband got the job, I threw myself into learning about Turkey. I wanted to understand its history, culture, and language. I know about as many Turkish words as a toddler now and, hopefully, by the time we leave, I’ll be at the level of a 5-year old. Lol!

I came to realize that Turkey was Asia Minor in ancient times and that it was the stomping grounds of St. John and St. Paul. Mary lived out her days in Turkey. Several of the Church Fathers came from Asia Minor–St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Polycarp, and St. Irenaeus. Turkey was pivotal in the spreading of Christianity. To my delight, I learned that Izmir (where we would be living for a year) was only about an hour from Ephesus and the Virgin Mary’s House.

It is not often that people mention going on pilgrimage to Turkey, but in reality, it should be considered a huge pilgrimage destination. Just Ephesus and the Virgin Mary’s home alone make it well worth the trip. In this blog, I’ll talk about visiting the Virgin Mary’s home and give you some sights from around Ephesus along with some historical information.

HOUSE OF THE VIRGIN MARY

This house is not to be confused with the home Mary lived in, in Nazareth. This is the home where Mary lived later in life after Christ ascended. On the Cross, Christ entrusted St. John with the care of His mother and we know that St. John was in Ephesus. Because of the persecutions of the early Christians, John placed Mary away from the big city of Ephesus to keep her protected. Her home, where she most likely lived with other women, is at the top of a mountain that overlooks Ephesus. It is a serene place hidden away from the hustle and bustle of life.

Centuries after Mary’s Assumption, Ephesus was abandoned and people moved on. Without the city nearby, the knowledge of Mary’s house fell out of popular memory, though it was still held in oral tradition by the faithful in the area. Many, many years later, a German nun, named Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824) had visions about the house of Mary. She was an invalid who never left Germany. “In her visions, she described with amazing accuracy the hills of Ephesus and the House where she saw the Blessed Virgin spending her last years. Accordingly, two scientific expeditions were organized in 1891 and they found this place in perfect and identical correspondent with the indications of Catherine Emmerich.”

Pretty amazing, isn’t it?

If you visit the mountain, be sure to take your time. Normally, there are many pilgrims and there are long lines to get into the house. When I went, there was hardly anyone so I was able to go through the house twice. There is a nice gift shop there and a place to buy drinks and snacks.

EPHESUS

This once-booming city of the ancient world is where we get the Letter to the Ephesians written by St. Paul. Only about 20% of Ephesus is uncovered but there is still so much to see: City hall, an ancient hospital, bathhouses, the famous Celsus Library, and the theater.

Ephesus is, also, one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelations, which was written by St. John on the island of Patmos.

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write this: ‘The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands…’” Revelations 2:1

When St. John and St. Paul were here, Ephesus was part of the Roman Empire and the 4th largest city in the empire. Because it was Roman, that meant it was, also, pagan. The main goddess worshipped here was the goddess Artemis and the Temple of Artemis is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. All that is left of the Temple at Ephesus is some rubble, but a lot of the remains are in the British Museum in London. As you walk through the city, though, you can see depictions of many different Roman gods and goddesses.

Eventually, in time and after hard work, the city was converted to Christianity and you can find crosses throughout the city, as well.

The biggest thrill was to see the enormous open-air theater where St. Paul went to preach the Good News to the Ephesians but was run out after the blacksmith, Demetrius, riled up the crowd. The crowd went on to shout with fury, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” You can read about this in Acts 19.

There is so much history here and so much to see and discover. I will definitely be going back so I can glean even more the next time. If you have children, I invite you to show them these pictures so that they can see that, yes, the places they read about in the Bible are still accessible today. It helps connect us with our past Catholic brethren and remember that they weren’t just characters in a story, they were real people that made a huge difference in the world. Their bravery spread the Good News of Christ and, because of them, we carry on the Traditions and messages that they did so long ago.

Until next time, Catholic Pilgrims, live the Faith boldly and travel well!